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Exercise, going to the gym… WHY do I resist?

For over a week, I have resisted going to the gym. I enjoy exercise when I am outside, walking/hiking, I love the fresh air. BUT going to the gym, just hearing the word “gym” makes me resist. Every day, I have good intentions; yet, fail to follow through.

Why? I dislike the extra work of carrying a gym bag, getting there, changing clothes. You see, I am exhausted thinking of this. If it is in the morning and I need to shower, then I have the added stuff (makeup, deoderant (heaven forbid I forget that), work clothes, work shoes) that I need to carry, it gets heavy. At night, if I go home and THINK I will go to the gym after I eat dinner — that does not happen.

Yesterday, I beat myself up over this. I had the self talk conversation in my mind saying, “STOP with the nonsense, get to the gym.”

I’ve been tired lately, so the rebuttle from the “other side” of my brain was being lazy. Take it easy, rest today, go tomorrow. I started to fight those negative thoughts.

As I was deciding which way I would go, my daughter sent me a text, it said, “Look what is on TV at the gym, it’s Brunetti!”

WHAT?? I SMILED REALLY BIG, not CNN, not ESPN, but MHz! Donna Leon’s books have been turned into a mini-series, and “Inspector Brunetti” was on the television.

THIS WAS A GAME CHANGER. I could work out while watching an Italian detective show that takes place in Venice!

Suddenly, my brain did a switch over. Amazing, my mind was “now focused” on the positive aspect of exercising (Inspector Brunetti), which made me forget about the drudgery of carrying my gym bag.

I thoroughly understand. The only solution I ever found was to schedule in right after work (after our kids were gone from home, eliminating strict dinner duty) a couple of times a week and force myself to go. (And now I’m going to have to look up Brunetti, it’s the Venice part!)

Like you, I hate the gym. I love being outside and working, walking whatever. But the very thought of wasting my time on a treadmill. Agrh. I have tried all manner of tricks to no avail. Glad you have found something that works for you.

I agree with your struggle, even though I go to the gym regularly and enjoy working out. Usually I can point to something besides the workout itself (i.e. Inspector Brunetti) to give me motivation. I run with a buddy, and look forward to our conversations. I go to cycle class and enjoy the company of the other riders (and our cheerleader-instructor). Anything to distract from the routine.

Yes, if you enjoyed the books, I think you will really like the TV series. What’s interesting is that the German’s enjoyed the books so much that THEY were the ones to create the TV series. So, the actors are German, speak German and the subtitles are in English. Take a look: https://youtu.be/-_ys-be03wo